Tag Archives: original art

Group Art Show – Beyond the Studio, Sept 12-13, 2026

20 Sunday Sep 2026

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As the organizer of the Vancouver En Plein Air Painters Meetup group, I wanted to create an opportunity for some of our members to exhibit their work. We rented the Flex Space at the Federation of Canadian Artists Gallery on Granville Island and welcomed visitors to our two-day exhibition last weekend.

The exhibition was a great success, with a steady stream of tourists, family, friends, and fellow art lovers dropping by. Alex Muraki offered free portrait sketches, which attracted visitors and added a lively, interactive element to the event. All five participating artists displayed our work, sold original paintings and greeting cards, and thoroughly enjoyed meeting and talking with the public.

Meet the Artists on Instagram:

Maryan Cerina — @cerinamaryan
Dale Costanzo — @dale.costanzo.art
Barb Jost — @barbijost_oilpainting
Adi Bala Subramanian — @paintingsbyadi
Alexander Muraki — @alexandermuraki

My Wall of Art!
The TV screen displayed a slideshow of our Plein Air events

The Vancouver En Plein Air Painters Meetup: 2026 Recap January to March

16 Thursday Jul 2026

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Here’s a retrospective of the 2026 Vancouver En Plein Air Painter’s Meetup, a painting group I created after joining an en plein air painting course in Cortona, Italy in September of 2023. Our meetup group started painting in the Greater Vancouver parks in April of 2024.

Join us if you’re in the area. You’ll find us on the Meetup Platform, or search our name online for “The Vancouver En Plein Air Painters”. Enjoy the photos!

Our meetup painting events in photos…

January 5 2026 Van Dusen Botanical Gardens

While walking through the gardens, we met Gary, one of our group members. He does such lovely watercolours, with a limited palette of four paints. It’s amazing the variety of colour one can achieve with just four hues.

January 17, 2026 False Creek

It was a very chilly day in January, so cold that many of us stopped early.

We followed the sun around the seawall, gathering more painters as we went. After sharing our work, several of us gathered at an outdoor patio for a bowl of hot soup. So great to be in the sun in January!

March 1 2026 Van Dusen Botanical Gardens

The many varieties of heather were in full bloom on this day. Everyone found a good place to paint. I enjoyed laying down the beginning of my painting. More to come. We had a very good turnout this day, too!

March 8, 2026 Van Dusen Botanical Gardens

We came back for another session at the gardens. The Heather Garden was still in full bloom, backlit by the late afternoon sun. Perfect for continuing my painting.

March 28, 2026 Queen Elizabeth Park

The daffodils are out! The cherry blossoms are blooming! Despite the chilly weather, it was really fun painting at Queen Elizabeth Park. I made a little watercolour of the daffodils amongst the trees.

The Vancouver En Plein Air Painters Meetup: 2025 Recap, October to December

16 Thursday Jul 2026

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Here’s a retrospective of the 2025 Vancouver En Plein Air Painter’s Meetup, a painting group I created after joining an en plein air painting course in Cortona, Italy in September of 2023. Our meetup group started painting in the Greater Vancouver parks in April of 2024.

Join us if you’re in the area. You’ll find us on the Meetup Platform, or search our name online for “The Vancouver En Plein Air Painters”. Enjoy the photos!

Our meetup painting events in photos:

October 5, 2026 False Creek

We painted on a chilly, sunny day at Charleson Park and Leg in Boot Square, False Creek. It was so chilly, our fingers got cold and we then followed the sun to meet up with more of our painters. A very pleasant afternoon.

October 13, 2026 Stanley Park

 Painting in this beautiful October sunshine at Stanley Park. Some of us wandered off to the tone and pulls others went to the lighthouse or painted the view across the harbor. Such fun to meet someone from a Washington Painting group as well and invite them to paint with us.

October 26, 2025 Van Dusen Botanical Gardens

Myself and two friends met at the gardens for a chilly, but really nice painting session. We enjoyed being out and about at Van Dusen and painting together.

November 2nd and 8th 2025, English Bay

The Sylvia Hotel, an iconic sight in Vancouver. The beautifully coloured autumn trees along the beach provided for two, shall we say refreshing, painting days. It was cold, it was cloudy, but we were blessed with a few sunny breaks. Luckily, a few of my friends joined me for these two painting sessions at the Sylvia.

And that’s a wrap for 2025 with the Vancouver En Plein Air Painters Meetup!

The first plein air event of 2025!

21 Tuesday Jan 2025

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Happy New Year, everyone!

We held the first event of the year of the Vancouver En Plein Air Painters Meetup on January 12, 2025. It was a crisp, sunny day, with a light breeze and temperatures around 5 degrees Celsius. Location: Coal Harbour, Vancouver, BC Canada.

As always, we met up at our meeting point, dispersed to paint or sketch, and then met again at the end to chat about our work. It’s always fun to hear from others about their experiences and to ask questions about how they accomplished a look or technique in their work. We’re a friendly, nonjudgmental group, which leads to open and honest discussions and plenty of support.

I found a sunny spot out of the wind and off the nearby walking path by a small duck pond in the sun. I made good progress on my painting before my fingers got too cold. I’ll finish this painting either at home or back on site on a subsequent sunny day.

Enjoy the photos! Feel free to ask me any questions or to follow me on instagram: @cerinamaryan.

Maryan

Painting in progress.
The beginning of a new painting.
Happy to be outside, painting in the sun.
Love this view. Duck pond near Georgia St in Coal Harbour, Vancouver.

Our group’s work, some finished, some in progress.

New Paintings, new exhibit!

20 Friday Dec 2024

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I did it! I prepared all of my paintings at home, brought them to Opus Arts on Granville Island in the morning to complete the framing, then had them hung in the window at Vancity Credit Union on Robson and Denman, Vancouver , Canada on Dec 4! The exhibit ends early March. Take a look if you’re in the area. All paintings are for sale. Prices are $250 to $650, framed.

Got myself a gig!

03 Tuesday Dec 2024

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I’m preparing for a painting exhibit at Vancity Credit Union on Robson and Denman, Vancouver . Dec 4, for three months!

Embracing the rain!

09 Saturday Nov 2024

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When painting en plein air, it’s probably best to embrace the weather rather than complain about it! I’m sure there are limits to this, but I find being outdoors in the rain much more inspiring than sitting at home wishing it wasn’t so grey out.

I’ve had several inspiring days painting solo or with my group this October and early November. The fall colours are so inspiring!

New Website end of November

12 Saturday Nov 2016

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Dear Readers,

I am pleased to announce that my new website will be up and running by Nov 30, 2016 at http://www.maryancerina.com. Please follow me there for future posts and information on commissions, lessons, house portraits and my latest work.

Thank you for following me over the past two years.

This print is of a watercolour painting I did while living in Bangkok, Thailand. I became fascinated with lotus flowers while there, they’re so beautiful and such an important part of Thai culture. While walking in Bangkok’s largest park, Lumpini Park, I came across a small pond with a tangle of lotuses. I snapped a photo and then painted this in the studio of my artist friend and mentor, Russell Fadavi. I made several prints to give away to family and just came across my last remaining print. Let me know if you’re interested in having this print adorn your wall! Print of Lotuses in Lumpini Park, Thailand 15.5″ x 12″ $60
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SANYO DIGITAL CAMERA
SANYO DIGITAL CAMERA

Paintings For Sale!

17 Saturday Sep 2016

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I would describe myself as an eclectic artist. I paint in different styles. I love my whimsical paintings, they’re fun and light. I’m proud of my realistic paintings. They took a lot of work and dedication to detail. Both create a meditative state, in different ways. I’ve always loved creating. I sew, take photos, I’ve done pottery, a bit of sculpture, I made batiks and oil paintings and water colours and acrylic paintings. I love trying new things and learning. I love exploring the world of the real and of the spirit, which really are the same thing.

If you like any of these, please send me an email at maryancerina.artist@gmail.com, or leave me a comment below. Thanks!

This print is of a watercolour painting I did while living in Bangkok, Thailand. I became fascinated with lotus flowers while there, they’re so beautiful and such an important part of Thai culture. While walking in Bangkok’s largest park, Lumpini Park, I came across a small pond with a tangle of lotuses. I snapped a photo and then painted this in the studio of my artist friend and mentor, Russell Fadavi. I made several prints to give away to family and just came across my last remaining print. Let me know if you’re interested in having this print adorn your wall! Print of Lotuses in Lumpini Park, Thailand 15.5″ x 12″ $60

Portrait of a Vancouver Heritage Building

14 Wednesday Sep 2016

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One of my dear friends, an elderly woman and one of the first female architects in Vancouver, lives in this heritage building in the West End of Vancouver.  An example of Baroque Renaissance Revival, it was built in 1912 by architect Phillip M. Julien and was the first building in the area.

In painting this house portrait for my friend, I wanted to not only show the character of this heritage building, but to also include personal touches dear to her heart –  her two cats, flowers and her view.

The challenge in painting this house portrait was getting the colour right. The colour seemed to change with the light in every photo I took of the building, from lemon yellow in bright sun, to warm yellow on a bright but overcast day, to pinkish and bluish tones near sunset, and to greenish one cold and dark winter’s day.  I did a lot of experimentation with the paint colour and in the end I’m happy with both the colour and in making this not just a painting of a heritage building, but of my friend’s home.

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Stages during painting the heritage building house portrait:

  1. Painting the main building in a neutral colour, drawing of entrance way details
  2. Adding a roof line and beginning to add darks
  3. Adding the shadow
  4. Improving the roof line and looking at the details of the eaves, where the wall features meet the roof
  5. Adding more darks and some entryway details
  6. All the reflections in the windows, all the dark areas, more entryway details
  7. Window frames and decorative elements, details to the roof line, the entryway completed, all the flowers, trees and water, and the two cats in the windows!

Enjoy!